Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-02
STRANGE METALLIC FREAKS.
Queer Forms Assumed by Molten silver
Dropped on Cold slabs.


Ten years ago this winter | stood in the
big California stamp mill at Virginia City,
New, watching the sixty pondcrous go
pound weights laundering on the quartz.
The pulp was being stirred in the great
pans; the tailings were going out down a
fiume like a mill race. AT each settling
pan was a large canvas bag held In a wise
like grip. | was invited TO thrust my
band into one of them. l did so, and
brought up a great handful OF something
that was heavy and as elusive AS quick
sand.
'sThat," said Senator Fair, then super
intendent of the Big Bonanza mine, sis
amalgam-quicksilyer and gold and silver.
We put that In red hot retortS. The
quicksilver passes off In vapor, is caught
and precipitated, and the bullion comes
out in o blackened but solid mass. Now
come down to the refining room and I'll
show you something. Dye ever see how
silver spreads when you drop itp can't
do this as well as I'd like TO, for there's
too much gold; this stuff runs a per cent.
gold, aud it's too heavy to work as I'd
like it,"
Senator Fair led the way to n room in a
brick building adjacent, where two great
caldrons were boiling and bubhling,
''There's half a million in each OF those"
said Mr.. Fair. Johnny, clear this iron
table, and get me two blocks of ice"
The ice was brought, and the blocks
were placed a foot apart on the iron led.
When all was chilled Mr.. Fair said: Give
me a fifty ounce ladle." The latter was
dipped into one Of the caldrons and came
up with a pint of white, molten fluid.
snow watch" said Mr.. Fair. lie held IL
up as high as his arms would reach and
dropped ii on the cold slab between the
cakes Of ice. lie dropped il in splatches of
little more than a tablespoonful each. The
effect was marvellous. As the liquid sill
vcr and gold fell its weight scattered IL
into 10000 conceivable shapes, and the
cold chill so suddenly applied concealed il
into a hundred thousand uncomfortable
shapes in an instant. There were splat'
tiers and splatches and all sorts of things.
Where a single drop would fall 1t would
expand to either a coach wheel or q cob.
web, as the freak would take it. IL Mr.
Fair dropped a spoonful next the cake Of
ice the splashes would rise, catch on TO the
ice and make a perfect little wire forest
II WAS one of the most beautiful sights thu
writer Ind ever seen.
''Jewelets and s~ilversmiths," said Mr.
Fair, "gct n good many of thcir ideas from
Just such idiOsyncrasies Of silver bullion.
l have held IL up before now, dropped il
and seen come out the oldest and most
surprising forms. Lon Hamilton, Jones
brother-in-law, has q complete coach and
four and hounds behind-the result Of just
one splatch on a cake Of ice down at the
Belcher. Odd things in silver oh, the
silversmiths are more perfect than we are,
but I'll bet | can hold this ladle mp, DROP
the whole of IL on that cold slab and you
will see a variety Of forms, devices and
grotesqueries such as you never dreamed
of. Johnny, give me q fresh ladle. Now,
stand away. Here she goes!'' and n pint
of molten silver went out on the cold iron,
Ten thousand shapes and i'll shapes, and
ten other Thousand forms were there
There were forests and streams, and bird
and reptiles, and rocks aud mountains
To have picked out all would have been
weeks task.
"Chuck ii back into the PAN" said Mr.
Fair. ''Give mi another ladle. Now
watch this.'
Down il went on the cold slab. There
were elephants and giraffes, and lions and
dogs, and African bungalows, aud on ono
splatch n marching regiment could have
bren made out by hut a trifing stretch
OF the imagination .-Chicago Herald.